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Jonas Merhoff
Jonas Merhoff is a Hauptmann in the Wehrmacht, leading the 21st Panzer Division. Early Life and Family Cold and bitter are two words that for the most part, embody the beginning of the promising Jonas Merhoff’s life. Born in Munich, Bavaria in 1896 to a wealthy factory owner/industrialist with connections to the noble family of Bavaria, his life seemed to be paved out for him. However, not all went as expected, especially in his home life. His father was Heinreich W. Merhoff, a successful industrialist with numerous ties to anyone who mattered in Bavaria. His mother, Alexis Merhoff, was the third-wife of Heinreich. Not many women lasted long after being drawn when by Heinreich’s charm and money. Jonas had a troubled childhood, for his father was extremely violent to him and his mother. As a child he was often beaten by his father. He resolved that he would never cry again when being whipped by his father. When he put his will to the test, his continued beatings only grew more violent, but Merhoff’s will never cracked. Many men who would eventually serve with him would utter that he had a “will of steel”. Over time, the young boy developed a deep emotional attachment to his mother and deep resentment and hatred towards his father. During his schooling, Jonas displayed excellence with his work and had a promising future with such intelligence. But on his second year of Realschule, he failed and was forced to repeat a grade. To many it seemed he had lost the desire to learn, but in reality he was acting out and it was a rebellion against his father who had desires for his son to take over at his factories in the future. However, following the death of his beloved mother at age 17, he dropped out of school much to his father’s dismay. Before Heinreich could deliver a whipping to his son, Jonas wrestled the whip from his father’s hand and delivered a brutal beating before leaving him bloodied on the floor. Military History With nowhere else to go and no one to turn to for support, a young Merhoff enlisted in the military with no goals in life. Even after being so close to the breaking point, the strong willed teenager refused to give in. He refused to die. This would serve him well in the following years when the Great War broke out across Europe. The fresh recruit proved valuable to his superiors and was quick on his way to promotions before he even served in his first battle. He served on the Western Front with the 3rd Royal Bavarian Division. While serving with the unit, he developed a close bond with many of the men who respected him and looked up to him in times of need, even those older than him. It was mature, valiant, straight-forward, passionate, and courageous. The mishaps of his miserable life and beaten soul never seeped to the surface and he grew extremely affectionate of Germany, his fatherland. He was no longer a vagabond teen with nowhere to go, he was a well-rounded military gentlemen with a passion for his German Empire. He would see the war all the way through, in hopes of bringing it to victory. He first served in the Battle of the Frontiers and participated in the Race to the Sea. He had to accustom to the trench warfare, including how to survive him them. He watched men he bonded with die in front of his eyes and many suspected that at such a young age he would crack or realize this was war…not a game. But Jonas was not that kind of teenager. He had endured pain and suffering and he merely adapted to this new form of such. He killed in order to survive and fought onward even when others fell at his feet. Perseverance served him well over the next four years. The young Bavarian fought for Prussia in the battles of Ypres, Second of Artois, Loos, Somme Offensive, Arras, Messines, Second of Aisne, Spring Offensive, Hundred Days Offensive, Amiens, and Second of Somme. In all he fought in 12 battle and obtained a decorated military record. At the age of 22 he was serving as a Oberstabsfeldwebel or Sergeant Major in the final days of the war. He earned a lot of his men’s respect and many of them would die for him. In fact, many of them did on the battlefield of the Second Battle of Somme. The Allies delivered a crushing blow to the German Empire, shattering it into defunct pieces. Distraught by the idea of defeat, Jonas left the military when his unit disbanded in 1918. Aggravated that everything he fought for was in vain, he returned to Munich to find his father had killed himself during his son’s absence. Even after those 17 years of hell, Jonas should have felt sorry and attended the sad man’s funeral, but he didn’t. He took over the factory, wiping the memories of his father from his mind. After steering the industrial factory back to success, Jonas had a brief romantic relationship with the daughter of a noble, Ava Reinhard, at the age of 28 in 1924. She attempted to drag him into the social life his father once lived and settle down with him, but Jonas refused and abandoned the factory, leaving Munich. Once again, Jonas Merhoff was a man with no goals in life. He was on the verge of breaking point once more and had nothing to believe in. The awful government the Allies had set up was ghastly and led the German Empire into ruin. Jonas knew they needed someone to restore Germany to its former glory, or the ideals he had once fought for would be lost. Distressed that more and more foreigners and Jews invaded his country, he began protesting with a group of men. Soon we would learn of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party and upon listening to a prominent Adolf Hitler’s speech, he immediately got involved with the Nazi Party. Absolutely everything Hitler spoke of, Jonas believed in deeply and such beliefs dated back to when he began to serve his glorious country. Only those like he and Hitler could truly love and wish to establish a better Germany, as they were willing to die for it. As a matter of fact, he was the striking image of the promising Aryan race. Fair skin, light blue eyes, golden hair, as well outstanding leadership qualities. When Hitler rose to power in 1933, the 37 year old Jonas Merhoff strayed away with his political involvement and enlisted in the military once again. He attended a military academy for officer training and became a Hauptmann in 1937 upon graduation. No longer a young boy with no ambition, he was a veteran of the Great War with a deep passion for the Fatherland and would be a great asset to the German War Machine. Military Service Jonas was put in charge of the weak 21st Panzer Division of the infamous Afrika Korps. When he took control of the reins it was a battered group of men who were meant to reinforce the Italian soldiers in North Africa. Failure not an option to the Hauptmann, he has begun to rebuild the small divsion. He has a brief battle history in the Second World War, and has only brought his division one battle victory. The victory was achieved while working with the Waffen SS, 2nd Division Das Reich with the infamous Edward McMillan With that victory comes a draw, in which Jonas was unfortunately shot down but never defeated by his foe Mac Bargett. After a heated game of Cat and Mouse, Jonas's rush on the house was unsuccessful and both went their separate ways with their wounds. It taught Jonas that he was a leader first and a soldier second. Personality Jonas is a bitter cold man who believes his men will only respond successfully to his harsh commands on the battlefield. His inner most emotions have been locked away for most of his life due to a vow he took as only a child while he had to endure his father's hatred and pain. Abandoning his father at the ripe age of 18, Jonas never had the chance to make something of his life or even prepare for it which only left him with one choice. The military. Having served in both World Wars, Jonas has developed a love for his country. This love, which is only paralleled for that of his mother and a more recent one for a young German girl named Adelheid, gives him a sense of pride and glory for his nation. Such feelings molded him into the obedient Nazi soldier he has become, but recently he has begun to doubt both his country and it's leaders due to an encounter with an orphan much like him. Category:Characters of Issuing Orders